PHILADELPHIA — When Nicklas Grossmann injured his ankle and was lost for the season, the Flyers seemed to be down to two choices for a replacement.

There would be Hal Gill. Or there would be Erik Gustafsson.

Turns out, it was anything but a competition. Turns out, it was a combined effort.

After Gill had replaced Grossmann in a Game 5 loss, Gustafsson replaced Gill Tuesday and scored a goal in the Flyers’ 5-2 victory that sent their first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers to Game 7.

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Yet without the counsel and other intangibles of his 39-year-old teammate, Gustafsson insists he would not have been as ready or effective in his first appearance since April 13.

“I have to credit Hal Gill a lot,” Gustafsson said. “He’s helped me out a lot this year. We have been on the side together, and he has given me a few pointers here or there. Also, he has kept my motivation up. He is teaching me to be a real pro and work hard in practice.

“And that when you get the chance, you’re ready.”

With the Flyers facing elimination Tuesday, Gustafsson was ready to be paired with Luke Schenn and take three shots, block two and charge out of the penalty box to take a Braydon Coburn pass and score at 14:17 of the second.

“He was great,” Brayden Schenn said. “We needed that. We had just been on the PK, and he came out of the box and scored. It was a big goal. He works hard. He hasn’t played a lot lately, but it’s nice to see a guy get rewarded like that.”

The Flyers have guaranteed themselves only one more game. But if they win Wednesday in the Garden, Gustafsson can expect another full series’ worth of opportunities.

“This is when you want to play hockey,” he said. “This is what you dream about as a kid, coming in in an elimination game in the Stanley Cup playoffs. There was a lot of excitement. I was a little bit nervous, but you just want to go out there. Because this is what you dream about as a little kid.”

Gustafsson had played in seven career postseason games, and if he had hoped to make it eight Sunday, he was let down. That’s when Craig Berube elected instead to replace Grossmann with Gill.

“Obviously I was a little disappointed I didn’t get to play in the last game,” he said. “He had his reasoning and I accepted that. When I was told that I was playing tonight, I couldn’t tell you how excited I was. I just want to play my game and show everybody I can play.”

Gustafsson said he knew Monday that he was going to dress for Game 6.

“I was just trying to relax and approach it as just any other game the day before,” Gustafsson said. “Obviously, this morning, you wake up, you’re excited. It was a little hard taking a nap today in the afternoon, but I finally fell asleep. Then I woke up and just went through my normal routine, but maybe with a little more focus. Like the rest of the guys, I was just ready to go.”

Berube activated Gustafsson Tuesday, he said, for his speed and his ability to get up into the play.

After being penalized for high-sticking at 12:11 of the second, the defenseman jumped right into the play, took Coburn’s feed and scored six seconds after evacuating the box.

“It was a lot of fun when I saw the puck come down to me,” Gustafsson said. “I think it took a fortunate bounce. I almost thought (Henrik) Lundqvist was going to get it, but luckily the puck went in.”

Gustafsson had two goals and eight assists in 31 regular-season games. His goal Tuesday, which gave the Flyers a 3-0 lead, gave him an opportunity, at least, to play one more playoff game.

“I just wanted to go in and play simple and help the guys out,” Gustafsson said. “And overall, I think we did a great job.”

Even those 39-year-old defensemen, as it turned out, who were not even in uniform.